Apparatus for wet finishing of textiles



April 10, 1956 G. E. OWENS, JR, ETAL 2,741,112

APPARATUS FOR WET FINISHING OF TEXTILES Filed Jan. 14, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS GLENN E. OWEN,JR.. HENRY T. ROGERS BY M,%9%

TTORNEYS April 10, 1956 G. E. OWENS, JR., ETAL 2,741,112

APPARATUS FOR WET FINISHING OF TEXTILES Filed Jan. 14, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 2- INVENTORS GLENN E. OWENSJR. HENRY T. RoerERs BY MM wn fiw ATTOR NFYS April 10, 1956 e. E. OWENS, JR., EIAL 2,741,112

APPARATUS FOR WET FINISHING OF TEXTILES 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 14, 1952 NYN QWN

I N VENTORS K we E6 WM Y R N we Ln ATTORNEYS April 10, 1956 G. E. OWENS, JR, ETAL 2,741,112

APPARATUS FOR WET FINISHING OF TEXTILES 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

Filed Jan. 14, 1952 wowmm OOOOO INVENTORS GLENN E. OWEN,JR. HENRY T. ROGERS ATTORNEYS April 10, 1956 G. E. OWENS, JR., El'AL 2,741,112

APPARATUS FOR WET FINISHING OF TEXTILES 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 14, 1952 A ORNEYS United States Patent 0 APPARATUS FUR WET FINISHING (BF TEXTILES Glenn E. Owens, JL, Athol, and Henry Rogers, Orange, Mass, assignors to Rodney Hunt Machine Company, Orange, Mass a corporation of Massachusetts Application January 14, 1952, Serial No. 266,404

Claims. (Ci. 68-177) This invention relates to cloth treating apparatus and more particularly to apparatus for performing dyeing or other wet finishing operations on fabrics which may be either in the form of an endless strand or a part of a continuous range.

Machines of this kind are variously called dye becks, dye kettles, and dolly or slack loop washers. For present purposes the term dye beck will be used in its generic sense to refer to all such machines.

Despite the detailed difierences in dye becks necessary to adapt them for treating different fabrics all such machines ordinarily depend upon the repeated immersion of fabric in a dye tub containing a finishing or treating liquid. Grdinarily the goods are in the form of continuous bands which pass side by side over a rotating reel mounted above the tub, pass into the tub, are withdrawn from the tub by a roll which may be driven or idle, and are then returned to the reel. This process is repeated until the fabric has been exposed to the action of the treating liquor a suflicient time to complete the process.

As is Well known in the art the length of time necessary to complete the treating process depends upon the thoroughness with which the dye liquor or the treating solution penetrates the fabric. For this reason it is highly desirable that the fabric be folded as it is deposited in the tub to assure maximum exposure of the fabric to the treating liquor within the confines of a relatively short tub. Because of the importance of this folding action the prior art is replete with elforts to provide apparatus for achieving this purpose.

For example, it is common to provide for this purpose a non-circular reel which may have a number of straight sides or may be elliptical in shape. While such reels to some extent fold the fabric as it is deposited in the tub, the irregular motion imparted to the fabric by such reels has created a number of undesirable conditions. In the first instance, it is necessary, in using such reels, to provide means for efiecting sufiicient gripping action between the reel surface and the fabric to prevent slippage between the reel and the fabric which inevitably results in surface abrasion. Such abrasion is damaging to the fabric and shows up in the finished fabric as short intermittent streaks of a shade different from the main body of the fabric.

in an effort to avoid slippage and at the same time eliminate the necessarily harsh gripping surfaces usually present on the periphery of the reel, it has been proposed to cover the reel with fabric. This expedient greatly increased the cost of the operation because of the necessity for replacing the cloth wrapping for each run of fabric. Actual cost analyses have indicated that, in a mill of substantial size, the cost of wrapping the reels exclusive of the time consumed in performing the wrapping operation may amount to thousands of dollars per year.

It has also been proposed to cover the non-circular reels with vulcanized rubber or equip the surface of the reel with rubber buttons to provide traction without abrasion. However, the expense of this procedure and other deficiences have prevented its general adoption.

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Also because of the varying speed of the fabric caused by th use of irregularly shaped reels, the fabric was continually tightened and slackened which resulted in an objectionable stretching of the fabrics, particularly of the knitted fabrics which are especially sensitive to stretch when tension is applied during wet finishing processes.

it has also been found impractical when using noncircular reels to drive the reel shaft at an irregular speed to maintain a constant peripheral speed because of the expense of the necessary drive mechanisms and their notorious unreliability.

In addition to the above difliculties, the irregularly shaped reels had to be designed so as to withstand uneven stresses imposed on them at critical points and as a result became bulky and expenive to manufacture. This additional bulk together with the inherent surging characteristic of the drive required considerable extra power as compared with cylindrical reels. Also because of the surge characteristic caused by the non-circular reels, which was intensified in high speed operation, it has been impossible to operate the machines at economical speeds without serious damage to the fabric. In order to provide a maximum traction at the surface of an irregular reel of this type it has been standard practice to mount the front roll in as low a position as possible, thereby providing a maximum wrap of fabric on the plaiting reel. Howeventhis practice results in a substantial decrease in the operating efiiciency of the machine. The lowered mounting of the front roll prevents the fabric from opening up and ballooning from a strict rope form which is necessary to insure even and thorough penetration of the treating liquor into the fabric. With the low mounted roll, fabric leaving the liquor is immediately brought into contact with the roll and the reshaping and ballooning of the fabric is seriously restricted.

In view of the generally unsatisfactory results derived from the use of non-cylindrical plaiting reels it has also been proposed to employ a separate plaitor between the driven reel and the surface of the dye liquor in the tub. This expedient also presented difiiculties of such importance as to prevent its general adoption. Space limitations alone will prevent adoption of the conventional plaitor in a dye beck, since its installation necessitates the mounting of the reel at an impractical height to permit the plaitor to clear the stack of goods piled in the tub. The conventional plaitor also makes threading of the machine difiicult and seriously limits access and visibility with respect to the interior of the machine.

Another difliculty which has prevented the adoption of the conventional plaitor in the dye heck is occasioned by the fact that in most modern dye becks the operation is conducted in a steam atmosphere to which the operating mechanism for the plaitor is necessarily exposed. Accordingly the bearings, the chains and the rollers which form parts of the ordinary plaitor are subject to rapid deterioration and effective lubrication of these components at reasonable expense is a practical impossibility.

In satisfaction of a long felt unfulfilled need and demand for an improved dye beck which does not incorporate the above-stated difficulties, the present invention provides a dye beck having, among other things, a pair of upper reels which are circular in form preferably of the same size and mounted at the same height above the tub. These reels cooperate with a separate plaitor of novel construction to deliver the fabric at constant speed in folds at the rear of the dye beck. With the novel apparatus herein disclosed the fabric travels at constant speed and under substantially constant tension from its point of exit from the dye liquor until it is re-introduced into the liquor. The

fabric conveying and plaiting apparatus cooperate with other novel features of the dye beckto produce a superior product at decreased expense.

it is accordingly the principal purpose and object of the present invention to provide novel cloth dyeing and finishing apparatus which permits the performance of high quality finishing operations at high speed and at reduced expense.

it is also an object of the present invention to provide in a cloth treating apparatus a reel and plaiting mechanism which eliminates the problem of slippage thereby minimizing surface abrasion, stretching, and other damage to the treated fabric.

It is an additional object of the invention to provide an improved dye beck using a reel and plaitor construction of simple design which effects a considerable reduction in the power required to operate the machine because of the elimination of variable speeds within, the system and the minimization of the structural weight of the components.

It is another object of the invention to provide a novel cloth conveying system for a dye beck including a plaitor which permits variation of the ratio of plaiting speed and length of plait with respect to the linear speed of the fabric to minimize the problem of tangling, knotting and overlapping of strands of material.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel fabric conveying mechanism for a dye beck which materially increases the ballooning and refolding of the fabric as it passes through the machine to assure uniform exposure of the fabric to the action of the treating liquor.

It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide a novel plaiting apparatus for a dye beck which occupies a minimum of space and does not interfere with threading of the machine.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel plaiting apparatus for a dye beck which may be located so that it does not interfere with the proper depositing of the fabric at the back of the dye heel: and which does not necessitate relocation of the adjacent reel.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a fabric finishing apparatus which is comprised of a minimum number of structurally rugged parts compactly and simply arranged.

It is a further object of the present invention to prdvide a novel cloth finishing apparatus which is safe in operation and amenable to precise control.

Additional objects and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds with the accompanying drawings inwhich:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a cloth treating apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figures 2 and 3 are end and top elevations respectively of the apparatus of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary interior perspective view of the apparatus of Figure 1 looking toward the left as viewed in Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a similar view looking toward the right as viewed in Figure l;

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary taken along the lines 66 of Figure l;

Figure-7 is an enlarged fragmentary taken along lines 77 of Figure 1;

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary taken along line S8 of Figure 2;

Figure 9 is an enlarged fragmentary taken along line 99 of Figure 3;

Figure 10 is an enlarged section taken along line 1010 of Figure 6;

Figure 11 is an enlarged sectional view taken along lines 1111 of Figure 3; and

Figure 12 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation of the preferred plaitor construction.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings the dye beck herein disclosed is of the completely enclosed type which is substantially steam tight so that the dyeing sectional view sectional view sectional view sectional view 4- process may be performed in a steam atmosphere at an accelerated rate.

The dye beck consists of two principal structural components, the body portion 30 and the roof portion 32. The body of the dye beck is comprised of two side wall sheets 34 and 36 which are preferably of stainless steel or similar corrosion resistant material as are all other components of the apparatus which are exposed to the dye liquor. The side wall sheets are provided at their upper, lower and end edges with flanges, 38, 40, 42 and 44 which ray he formed integrally or welded to the sheets 34 and 36.' Three hollow vertical stifiening U-shaped channels 46 are welded to each of these side sheets and extend between the upper and lower flanges 38 and it to which they are welded. A plurality of short similar channels 4-3 are welded in place between the end flanges 42 and 44 and the vertical channels 46. A short vertical channel Si] extends along the rear edge of each of the sheets and terminates at its upper end at a point adjacent to the normal level of the dye l quor within the heck. The upper ends of the channels 50 may communicate with the interior of the dye beck to serve as integral overflow conduits.

To provide for visibility into the interior of the dye beck each of the side sheets 34 and 36 is cutout as at 52 (Figure 7) to provide a window opening. The edges of the window proper 54 are received in grooved sealing strips 56, the window and the strips being held in tight sealing engagement with the sheets 34 and 36 by clips 58 in turn held in place by nuts 66 threaded on to studs 62 welded to said sheets.

The bottom of the heck is formed from a sheet 66 preferably of stainless steel or similar material having a continuously curved back portion 68, an inclined substantially straight central section '70, and an upwardly curving forward section 72. The opposite lateral edges of the bottom sheet 66 are Welded to the sheets 34 and 3 6 to form a continuous fiuid tight seal therewith. The upper ends of the rear and front sections 63 and 72 terminate in ofiset channel portions 74 and 76 respectively. The channel portion 74 is closed by an angular section 73 of stainless steel or the like welded at its opposite ends to the sheets 34 and 36 and along its lateral edges to the upper and lower portions of the channel section 7 4. T he closure member 78 is provided with a series of perforations 80 flared away from the interior of the beck as best seen in Fig. 4. The forward channel section 76 is closed by a similar member 82. A plurality of spacer blocks 84 are interposed between the lower edge of the closure member 82 and the adjacent portion of the channel section 76 so that the lower portion of the channel 76 is in fluid communication with the interior of the dye beck for a purpose to appear.

To provide the longitudinal stificning necessary to support the static weight of the dye liquor, a plurality of U-shaped channels 86 are welded at spaced points to the undersurface of the bottom sheet 66 and are welded at their opposite ends to reinforcements 87 attached to the sheets 34 and 36.

At its lowermost portion, the bottom sheet 66 is provided with a flared drain opening 89 in which a drain plug 96 is received with a sealing fit. The drain plug 90 may be operated by a handle 92 pivotally mounted on the side of the dyebeck at a convenient height. The

- handle 92 is provided with a detent 93 which cooperates with a plate 94 welded to the upper channel 48.

The plate 94 together with the side wall sheet 34 supports a tube 95 in Which a shaft 96 is sealingly and rotatably mounted. Shaft 96 at its opposite ends nonrotatably carries the handle 92 and a link 97, the latte1 I being pivotally connected to a rod 93. At its lower end of the water, dye liquor and steam inlets is of prime importance both from the standpoint of operating efiiciency and ease of control. In the present invention, particular care has been used to provide for the entrance of these fluids to insure performance of the dyeing operation with maximum efriciency. Steam is introduced into the dyebeck through a pipe 102. A suitable sealing structure indicated generally at 104 is provided at the point where the pipe 102 passes through the sidewall 34.

As best seen in Figures 4 and 5, the pipe 102 is connected at the midpoint of the dyebeck to a downwardly extending pipe 106 which is connected through a T- fitting to a horizontally extending perforated pipe 108. The opposite ends of pipe 108 are connected through angularly related U-fittings to spaced horizontally extending perforated pipe sections 110 and 112, the latter two pipe sections being mounted by suitable clips 114 on the floor of the bottom wall section 66 of the dyebeck.

To facilitate rapid cooling and rinsing of the fabric after the completion of a run a water pipe 115 is provided which extends through a suitable sealing structure in sheet 34 entirely across the bottom of the tub and is positioned in a pocket or recess 118 formed integrally in the bottom sheet 66 in the region of a large mass of fabric. The pipe 115 is preferably provided along its length with perforations (not shown) which face toward the bottom of the pocket 118 so as to avoid the direct application of water to the fabric passing over the upper surface of the sheet 66 and to insure flushing of the pocket 118.

The fabric passing through the dyebeck is prevented from impinging on the steam pipe 102 and associated pipes and the drain opening apparatus by a straight partition 128 which is slidably supported on guides 121 which are mounted on the side wall sheets 34 and 36 and extend substantially parallel to the front section 72 of the bottom of the dyebeck. The partition, which may be easily removed to provide access to the drain and steam pipe mechanism is held in guides by retainers 119 which cooperate with pins 122 mounted on the partition. The partition 120 is provided with two spaced sets of flared punched perforations 123 and 124, respectively, to permit the free circulation of the heated liquor therethrough. In this connection, it should be noted that all of the perforations formed in the partition as well as the closure member 78, are flared away from the fabric passing over them to present smooth surfaces to the fabric to avoid the possibility of snagging or tangling.

Hot water is introduced into the dycbeci: preferably through a single pipe 128 which extends through the sheet 34 into the channel 76. Because of the spacer blocks 84 the water is caused to flow between me bottom section 72 and the lower lip of the closure 82 downwardly and smoothly along the surface of the section 72 into the region of the st am and heating coils to be thoroughly mixed there before its introduction into the region of the dyebeck through which the fabric passes.

The sealed roof structure 32 which maintains the steam atmosphere within the dyebeck comprises straight side wall sections 148, and 142 and a top cover member 144, all of which are preferably constructed of stainless steel and are welded at their mating edges to form a fluid tight enclosure. The side members 140 and 142 are each provided along their lower edge with outwardly extending flanges adapted to be bolted or otherwise sealingly secured to the upper flange 38 of the main side wall sections 34 and 36, respectively. As best seen in Figure 8, the opposite end edges of top cover member 144 are inturned to form a channel 146. A conventional damper structure indicated generally at 148 is mounted centrally of the upper surface of the top cover member 144 to provide a controlled outlet for the steam atmosphere in the dyebeck.

The body structure of the enclosed dyebeck' is completed by front and rear movable doors 150 and 152, respectively. Each of these doors is provided with suitable windows 154 which are preferably installed in the same 198are sprockets 202 and 204.

l 6 manner as the side windows 54. As best seen in Figure 8 the doors are provided at the top and bottom edges with rollers 156 and 158, respectively. The upper rollers 156 are guided for movement in tracks 160 welded to the interior of the side members and 142 of the roof structure. The lower rollers 158 move in vertical tracks 162 welded to the interior of the main side body members 34 and 36. To assist in the opening movement of these doors and to hold the doors in open position, flexible lifting cables 164 are attached to the lower edges of the doors. The cables 164 run over pulleys 166 and are attached at their upper ends to drums 168 mounted at the top of damper structure 148. The drums 168 are biased so as to exert a lifting force on their respective cables by springs not shown which are anchored at their opposite ends to the drum shafts and the frame structure. Suitable sealing eyelets 172 are provided at the points where the cables 164 run through the roof structure. It will be understood that the damper may be connected in any suitable manner to the doors so that it will be closed except when either of the doors is opened.

It is a feature of the invention that doors and 152 may be opened without exposing the operator to a dangerous draft of steam. When the doors are opened the steam will tend to exit through the damper and along the top of the doors because of the rearward inclination of tracks rather than around the bottom of the doors in the region of the head and shoulders of the average operator.

Additional tracks 174 are provided in the inner surface of the side body members 34 and 36 to permit the door 150 to be swung inwardly at its bottom edge to the dotted line position shown in Figure 8. When the door is so operated, the space in front of the partition is accessible to the operator for the introduction of additional dye liquor by hand. It is to be noted that when the door is swung along the tracks 174 an appreciable opening is formed at the top of the door through which the steam will flow leaving the area around the bottom of the door in the region of the operators hands and arms substantially free of exiting steam.

It is also to be noted that in the closed position, the upper and lower edges of the doors are sealed respectively, against the inturned edges 146 of the top cover member 144 and against the respective members 78 and 82.

The mechanism for conveying and guiding the fabric through the dye beck which forms an important part of the present invention will now be described. The essential components of the fabric conveying and guiding mechanism are the upper reels and 182, plaitor 184 and the guide mechanism 186. The front and rear reels 180 and 182 are preferably identical in construction, form and size and according to the present invention are both substantially circular in section. They may take any conventional form, the preferred form being shown in part in Figure 5. As there shown the reels consist of end plates 188 and 190 to which spaced longitudinally extending bars 192 are secured. If desired a central stih'ening member 194 may be positioned centrally of the end plates 188 and 190. The opposite ends of the reel shafts 196 and 198, on which the reels 180 and 182 respectively are mounted, extend through openings in the opposite side members 140 and 142 of the roof structure and are joilrnalled outwardly thereof on suitable bearings 200 rigidly attached to the flanges at the upper side of the body members 34 and 36. Keyed to one end of shaft Similar sprockets 206 and 208 are keyed to the corresponding end of the shaft 196. The opposite end of shaft 198 non-rotatably carries a sprocket 210 and the corresponding end of the shaft 196 carries a belt pulley 2l2. The sprockets 204 and 208 are preferably of the same size and are drivingly connected by a chain drive 214. Driving power is transmitted to the rolls 189 and 182 through a chain drive 215 drivingly connecting sprocket 206 with the output sprocket 216 of a conventional transmission 218 mounted by any suitable means in cross bars 219 which extend across the top of the dye beck and are supported at their opposite ends in brackets 220 mounted on flanges 38. The power input pulley 221 of the transmission is connected by a belt 222 to an adjustable pulley cone 224 of an electric motor 226 which is tiltably mounted as at 228 on a bracket 229 secured to the cross arms 219. As the motor tilts about the pivot axis 228 the efiective diameter of the cone 224 is automatically increased or decreased, producing a corresponding increase or decrease in the drive speed of the'overall unit. An enlongated lever 23!) is provided for controlling the tilt of the motor and consequently the speed of the drive. The lever 230 is nonrotatably secured to a shaft 232 suitably journalled in bearings mounted on the cross arms 219. The inner end of the shaft 232, as best shown in Figure ll, is nonrotatably secured to a lever arm 234 connected by a double universal joint to lever arm 236. The opposite end of the arm 236 is secured to a pin 238 projecting from one side of a shaft 24% rotatably journalled in lugs 242 formed integrally with the motor mounting plate at points spaced from the pivot axis 228. Thus, clockwise movement of lever 236 as viewed in Figure 1 will tilt the motor 226 toward the belt pulley 221 increasing the effective size of the cone pulley 224 and correspondingly increasing the speed of the reel drive.

As best shown in Figure 1, an idler sprocket 244 is adjustably spring biased into engagement with the chain drive 215 by spring and bolt assembly 246 to maintain the tension of the chain drive at any desired value.

A similar idler sprocket arrangement indicated generally at 248 is employed to adjustably maintain the tension of the drive chain 214.

As best shown in Figure 4 and 12 the novel plaitor assembly 134 which also forms an important part of the present invention consists essentially of an offset crank. With particular reference to Figure 12, it will be seen that the cloth contacting portion of the plaitor comprises a hollow cylindrical tube 254 into the opposite ends of which are inserted cylindrical end members 256. The opposite ends of the tube 254 are welded to members 258 through which reduced sections of the end members 256 pass. The latter reduced sections are welded to the outer side of the members 253. Aligned machined shafts 260 pass through and are welded to the opposite ends of the members 258 as at 262. The aligned shafts 260 pass through suitable apertures in the opposite body wall members 34 and 36. Suitable sealing means are provided to afford a steam tight seal between the wall members 34 and 36 and the shafts 269.

The outer ends of shafts 260 are rotatably supported in bearings 263 mounted on horizontally extending supports 264 welded to the outer sides of the respective wail members 34 and 36. Dish-shaped slinger rings and cloth guide members 266 are welded or otherwise secured to the cloth contacting plaitor tube 254 at points spaced from the opposite ends of the latter. The plaitor as sembly is completed by stiffening plates 267 which extend between and are welded to the opposite ends of the tube 254 and the portions of the shafts 260 extending inwardly of the members 258.

Outwardly of the bearings 263, drive sprockets 263 and 270 are keyed to the shafts 260. The sprocket 268 is drivingly connected to reel sprocket 262 by means of a chain 274. An idler sprocket 276 is rotatably mounted on the under side of ledge 38 to guide and tension the chain drive 274. The sprocket 270 is similarly connected to the sprocket 210 mounted on reel shaft 198 through a chain drive 278.

The cloth guiding mechanism, indicated generally at 186, is best illustrated in Figures 1, 5, 6 and 10. With particular reference to Figure it will be seen that the :cloth guiding pins 280 pass through two symmetrical flanged members 282 and 284 which are secured together to form an elongated rectangular hollow channel. The pins 280 are detachably secured in place by nuts 286 threaded on to their rearward ends. As best seen in Figure 6, the opposite ends of the channel are non-rotatably secured to cylindrical end members 288 by pins 289. The pins also secure members 288 to shaft extensions 290 which are rotably supported in sleeve bearings 222 formed in one of the vertical channel members 46. Non-rotatably secured to the shafts 29d outwardly of the bearings 292 are downwardly projecting levers 294, the lower ends of which are received between opposite movement limiting flanges 296 formed on a plate 298 suitably secured to one of the vertical channels 46. From Figure 1 it will be seen that the pins 26-? are gravity urged to their normal horizontal positions. In this position the rods 2% contact the rearward flange 296 thereby restraining the pins against downward displacement from their normal horizontal position.

Also non-rotatably secured to one of the shafts 290 is a cam plate 300. A cam roller 392 on the outer end of the cam plate 300 and is supported in a rocker arm 3% pivotally secured to a switch 366 mounted on the outer face of the channel 46. The switch mechanism 30-6 is a conventional limit switch adapted to be opened by a predetermined displacement of the rocker arm 304. The switch 306 is connected by suitable leads (not shown) to the motor operating circuit and thus serves as an automatic shut off. Any tangling or knotting occurring in the fabric ropes which move upwardly through the pins 280 will cause immediate upward movement of these pins and will accordingly result in an immediate automatic safety shut off of the entire machine.

A doifer reel 310 is provided for removing continuous lengths of fabric from the dye beck. The reel 310 is 'rotatably supported at its opposite ends in bearings 312 mounted on brackets 314 which extend outwardly from the forward end of the dye beck and are secured to the flanges 38 by any suitable means such as screws 316. One end of the reel 310 non-rotatably carries a pulley 318 preferably connected through a belt drive 320 to pulley 212 mounted on reel shaft 196.

The fabric initially is threaded through the machine over the reels and 182 over the plaitor 184 downwardly through the dye beck upwardly through the pins 281) and is sewed or otherwise fastened to form an endless loop. To facilitate threading the fabric over the reel 182, an endless conveyor belt 319 preferably of corrosion resistant expanded metal lath or the like may be perma-' nently carried by the reels across their full width.

After the dye stuff and water have been introduced into the beck, the doors and other openings of the dye beck are closed and the machine is then placed in operation by starting the motor 226 which rotates the reels 180 and 182 and plaitor 184 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Figure l. The fabric indicated diagrammatically at 321 is thus delivered to the rearward section 68 of the dyebeck. The plaitor being offset causes the fabric to move alternately inward and outward as it is being delivered by the rearward reel 182 and thus forms the cloth into folds as indicated generally at 322.

It is to be noted that as the plaitor 134 moves downwardly from the position shown in Figure 1, it is traveling at substantially the same speed as the fabric so that the friction between the plaitor and the fabric is minimized. On the other hand when the plaitor is moving upwardly the fabric is delivered nearly straight down so that the plaitor is out of contact with the fabric thus eliminating the possibility of damage to the fabric.

Although the eccentricity of the plaitor above described is constant it will be understood that it may be made adjustable so that in a particular installation the length of fold of the plaited fabric can be easily varied.

It is also to be noted that by changing the sprockets 268 and 270, the speed of the plaitor may be varied with respect to the speed of the reels 180 and 182, as operating conditions require.

After the fabric passes through the lower section of the dye beck it is withdrawn by the forward reel 180 after passing through the guide mechanism 186. In this connection it will be noted that inasmuch as the reels 180 and 182 are mounted at the same level the distance between the forward reel 180 and the top of the dye liquor in the tub is appreciably greater than in prior machines with the result that the fabric is ballooned and allowed to refold itself in the increased space to a much greater extent than heretofore possible.

It is to be particularly noted that, despite the incorporation of a plaitor in the dye beck, the fabric travels through the dye beck at a substantially uniform speed from the time it leaves the dye liquor until it is reintroduced into the liquor. Accordingly, the difliculties resulting from variance in cloth speed encountered in prior dye becks and the problem of surging with the resulting defects in the final product caused by surface abrasion, tension, and fabric elongation are entirely eliminated. Further because of the smooth constant speed of the fabric, it is possible and quite feasible to process the fabric much more rapidly than in prior machines using irregularly shaped reels. In this connection it is also to be noted that the reels here used are of extremely simple and light weight construction. As a result power requirements are held to a minimum and the expense of reel fabrication is appreciably reduced.

Because of the constant fabric speed effected by the presently disclosed apparatus, squeeze rolls may be utilized readily without the disadvantages previously associated with the use of such rolls. As is well known squeeze rolls handle the fabric at constant speed. Consequently in prior machines, neither round reels nor oval reels could be used with such rolls since the former did not fold the goods and the latter produced slippage which resulted in excessive cloth damage.

Even with the best prior compromise solutions the slippage and the resulting cloth damage was a serious problem. With the apparatus herein disclosed, however, squeeze rolls may replace the front reel with the remainder of the apparatus remaining as described above without any slippage whatsoever over the rear reel and consequently without cloth damage.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the present invention has satisfied the objects stated above and provides apparatus which facilitates the production of high quality fabrics at higher speeds and lower costs than heretofore possible.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

l. Cloth finishing apparatus comprising a substantially steam tight housing having a fluid tight tank in its lower portion, a pair of spaced cloth carrying reels rotatably mounted at substantially the same height above said tank and adjacent the front and rear portions of said housing, a plaitor mechanism spaced from said cloth carrying reels and rotatably mounted above said tank and beneath one of said reels for delivering cloth in folds into said tank, and means external to said housing for rotating said plaitor and at least one of said reels in the same direction to move cloth through said tank.

2. Cloth finishing apparatus comprising a substantially steam tight housing having a fluid tight tank in its lower portion, a pair of spaced substantially circular cloth carrying reels of approximately the same size rotatably a to mounted at substantially the same height above said tank adjacent the front and rear portions of said housing, respectively, a plaitor rotatably mounted in the path of cloth hanging from one of said substantially circular reels for delivering cloth in folds into said tank, and means external to said housing for rotating said plaitor and at least one of said substantially circular reels in the same direction to fold cloth into said tank and to move it through said tank.

3. Cloth finishing apparatus comprising a substantially steam tight housing having a fluid tight tank in its lower portion, a pair of cloth carrying reels rotatably mounted at substantially the same height above said tank adjacent the front and rear ends of said housing, a plaitor assembly mounted above said tank and substantially beneath one of said reels comprising a pair of shafts rotatably mounted at opposite sides of said housing, and a cloth contacting member extending substantially across said housing and rigidly connected at its opposite ends to said shafts with its axis displaced from the axis of said shafts, and means for rotating at least one of said reels and said shafts in the same direction to fold said cloth and to move it through said tank.

4. Cloth finishing apparatus comprising a substantially steam tight housing haw'ng a fluid tight liquor receiving tank in its lower portion, a pair of substantially circular cloth carrying reels of approximately the same size mounted above said tank adjacent the front and rear ends of said housing, a plaitor assembly comprising a pair of shafts rotatably mounted on opposite sides of said housing above said tank and a single cloth folding rod like member extending substantially across said housing parallel to the axis of said reels and rigidly connected at its opposite ends to said shafts with its axis displaced from the axis of said shafts, the displacement distance between said axes thereby controiling the size of the plait, said plaitor assembly being disposed in the path of cloth hanging from one of the reels and mounted to have substantially zero relative velocity with respect to the cloth when causing the cloth to have maximum displacement.

5. Cloth finishing apparatus comprising a substantially steam tight housing having a fluid tight tank in its lower portion, means mounted in said housing above said tank for conveying said fabric therethrough at a substantially constant speed, rotating means mounted in said housing and disposed in the path of the fabric hanging from said conveying means to deposit it in folds in said tank without pulling said cloth, and means external to said housing for driving said conveying means and said last mentioned means in predetermined timed relation.

6. Cloth finishing apparatus comprising in combination a dye beck comprising a pair of side wall sheets, a smoothly curved bottom sheet extending between and sealingly secured to said side wall sheets to form a fluid tight container therewith, a closed roof structure secured to said side wall sheets to form a steam tight enclosure therewith, a pair of substantially circular reels of the same diameter mounted within said roof structure at substantially the same height for conveying said cloth through said dye beck at a substantially constant speed, and separate rotatable means enclosed in said dye beck below one of said reels in the path of said cloth for plaiting said fabric.

7. Cloth finishing apparatus comprising in combination a dye beck comprising a pair of side wall sheets, a smoothly curved bottom sheet extending between and sealingly attached to said side wall sheets to form a fluid tight container, a closed roof structure secured to said side wall sheets to form a substantially steam tight enclosure therewith, cloth conveying and plaiting means mounted within said enclosure above said tank for conveying fabric through said dye beck, front and rear doors sealingly mounted in said roof structure, and tracks mounted within said roof structure adjacent the front and rear ends thereof for guiding said doors for sliding opening movement providing simultaneous openings adjacent the top and bottom edges of said doors to minimixe the exit of steam in the area adjacent the lower edges of the doors.

8. Cloth finishing apparatus comprising a housing having a fluid tank in its lower portion, a pair of spaced cloth carrying reels mounted for rotation in said hous ing, means for rotating said reels at a substantially constant peripheral speed, a plaitor assembly disposed in the path of cloth hanging from one of said reels, said plaitor assembly having a cloth contacting member moving in thesame direction and at substantially the same speed said cloth is moving when said cloth contacting member causes maximum displacement of said cloth.

9. Cloth finishing apparatus comprising a substantially steam tight housing having a fluid tank in its lower portion, a pair of cloth carrying reels rotatably mounted adjacent the opposite ends of said housing, means for rotating said reels at a constant peripheral speed, a plaitor assembly to deliver cloth in folds to said tank mounted between said tank and one of said reels, said assembly having a cloth contacting member mounted for rotation about a fixed axis parallel to and spaced from the axis of said member to be moved into and out of the path of the cloth, and means for moving said cloth contacting member at the same speed and in the same direction that the cloth is moving when said cloth contacting member causes maximum displacement of said cloth.

10. Cloth finishing apparatus comprising, in combination, a dye beck comprising a pair of side wall pieces,

a smoothly curved bottoni sheet extending between and sealingly secured to said pieces to form a fluid tight container, a closed roof structure secured to said side wall pieces to form a steam tight enclosure, a pair of spaced circular reels mounted within the roof structure over which cloth'may be placed, means operating said reels at the same peripheral speed whereby the cloth is conveyed through the roof structure at a substantially constant speed, a plaitor assembly mounted below one of said reels and disposed in the path of the cloth, said ssernbly having a single cloth contacting member rotatably mounted about a fixed axis parallel to and spaced from the axis of said member, means for moving said cloth contacting member at the same speed and in the same direction that the cloth is moving when said cloth contacting member causes maximum displacement of said. cloth whereby pulling of the cloth is prevented.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,020,294 Krosnowski Mar. 12, 1912 1,950,010 Riggs Mar. 6, 1934 1,958,675 Peterson May 15, 1934 2,062,943 Schmidt Dcc.- 1, 1936 2,289,930 Payen July 14, 1942 2,412,188 Wolfenden Dec. 3, 1946 2,504,882 Schlesinger Apr. 18, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 27,560 Germany June 18, 1884 38,606 Germany Mar. 11, 1887 448,440 Italy May 18, 1949 

1. CLOTH FINIHING APPARATUS COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY STEAM TIGHT HOUSING HAVING A FLUID TIGHT TANK IN ITS LOWER PORTION, A PAIR OF SPACED CLOTH CARRYING REELS ROTATABLY MOUNTED AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME HEIGHT ABOVE SAID TANK AND ADJACENT THE FRONT AND REAR PORTIONS OF SAID HOUSING, A PLAITOR MECHANISM SPACED FROM SAID CLOTH CARRYING REELS AND ROTATABLY MOUNTED ABOVE SAID TANK AND BENEATH ONE OF SAID REELS FOR DELIVERING CLOTH IN FOLDS INTO SAID TANK, AND MEANS EXTERNAL TO SAID HOUSING FOR ROTATING SAID 